I feel overwhelming guilt about taking time off work by Alison Green on April 23, 2024 A reader writes: I genuinely don’t understand how folks deal with the overwhelming guilt of taking time off work. I’ve had this problem since I started working right out of college, and it’s persisted through multiple job and industry changes and multiple PTO policies — from seven days to unlimited — in my over 15 […] Read the full article →
an employee showed up for a video training while lounging in bed and smoking by Alison Green on April 22, 2024 A reader writes: I work in a low-level supervisory role for a social service agency. Most of our employees work remotely and are issued desktop computers with a monitor and camera. The majority of these remote employees do not need to be on camera to complete daily tasks; however, when meetings or training sessions occur, […] Read the full article →
mistakes at work: a round-up by Alison Green on April 10, 2024 Here’s a round-up of posts about mistakes at work. what to do when you make a mistake at work you made a mistake at work — now what? how do I recover from a huge, fireable mistake at work? how do I handle a serious mistake on my self-evaluation? how big of a deal are […] Read the full article →
can I bring a friend-with-benefits back to my hotel on a work trip? by Alison Green on February 22, 2024 A reader writes: Next month, I’ll be attending a professional conference with several of my coworkers. This will be my first work trip. I have a friend-with-benefits who lives in the city that the conference is being hosted in. Would it be inappropriate for me to invite her to stay with me at my hotel? […] Read the full article →
how to give constructive criticism at work by Alison Green on February 20, 2024 If you’re like a lot of people, having to tell someone their work isn’t good enough can feel awkward, even when the feedback is necessary and constructive — and even if you’re a manager whose job it is to have those conversations. But if you approach it in the right way, asking for changes to […] Read the full article →
is it insensitive to be excited for snow at work? by Alison Green on February 15, 2024 A reader writes: I love winter weather and snow, always have. I live in a large city in the northern hemisphere, so it’s good I like winter since, you know, it’s a solid 4-5 months of my year. Due to global warming, though, our winter has been increasingly warmer and wetter, which drives up my […] Read the full article →
I work from home and can’t focus by Alison Green on February 6, 2024 A reader writes: I graduated in 2018 and began a job where officially I’m a freelancer but in reality 99% of my work comes from one person. I record my hours and bill my client for them, and we have an unofficial agreement that I will make myself available to work X number of hours […] Read the full article →
how much can I pet my cat on video calls? by Alison Green on January 31, 2024 A reader writes: I have a somewhat low-stakes question that has been puzzling me lately. I’m wondering where the line is for interactions between me and my cat on Zoom calls. What is professional and what is not? My team is informal, with no dress code, and we sometimes show off our cats on video […] Read the full article →
managing mental health at work: a round-up by Alison Green on January 31, 2024 Here’s a round-up of posts about managing mental health at work. talking to your boss should you tell your boss if you’re struggling with mental health issues? should I disclose my depression to my boss? how to talk to your boss about mental health issues should I tell my boss I’m in therapy and on […] Read the full article →
how can I get people to stop misreading professional friendliness as a real connection? by Alison Green on January 17, 2024 A reader writes: I’m an events freelancer who works on a variety of projects. Most are just a one-day event, but a number of times per year I will do a longer-term project which spans a few weeks to a month. An increasing problem I have is people misreading my professional friendliness and problem-solving abilities […] Read the full article →